We are so lucky that we discovered Mariposa when we were first looking at schools five years ago. We have had nothing but the greatest experience that you could ask for in a place to educate your children. Both of our daughters have been through the school, from the Nido Community (infants) to the Young Children's Community (2-3 year olds), and continuing through the Children's house (3-6 year olds). Our favorite teachers are basically like family at this point, from Miss Kristen, to Miss Virginia, and Miss Jennifer and Miss Meryze. They have been so instrumental in the upbringing of our girls and we couldn't have asked for a better school. read more

Not a cheap school which isn't the issue. The issue is paying so much for Montessori education and the school is not even credited for it. They lost their licensing two years in a row and are scrambling to try and get it back. All the teachers are burnt out and the head of school is very out of touch with reality and is playing a role she cannot live up to. This school is all about optics and money. read more

Beautiful newer facility. Several of the guides are downright excellent. However, the administration lacks thoroughness and clarity in its communications. This opinion was also confirmed by the personal accounts of several other parents that we know. Far more egregious, however, was the occurrence when our child was moved from NIDO care prior to the agreed upon transition date - before we believed she was ready; before she could even walk. Imagine a mobility-limited fifteen month old flailing in the middle of a score of tantrum-throwing two and three year olds. The fear in her eyes and the change in her behavior was apparent from then on at every afternoon pick-up. From a parent's perspective, it was soul-crushing. Rather than a childcare decision, this was a business decision (as verified by a "regrettable" email statement, in spite of the administration's attempt to retract it). In our opinion, moving our daughter early was likely intended to make room in the NIDO for other newcomers - though Mariposa predictably denied that intent. This was a decision made entirely against the parents' wishes, and as we believed, at the expense of our child's well-being. Save your breath when complaining, by the way. In fact, the act of complaining itself could sour your relationship with the administration, resulting in your child being expelled from the school. But the contract you sign allows Mariposa to make this leveling-up decision independently, without consideration given to your input, cares or concerns as a parent. And so they did. In addition to the fear trauma and constant painful leg-scrapes our daughter endured while scooting across the roughened concrete sidewalks (remember, she couldn't walk yet), I personally witnessed multiple bloody face-plants by other children on the same broom-finished surfaces. What could we do? We were locked in. We were at their mercy. We'd already paid up well in advance - as is required. Good luck finding other child care services on short notice. But of course, they knew all this leverage existed when they devised the contract. It was purposeful. COVID-19 certainly hastened the eventual outcome for us, but we removed our little one from this facility as soon as we were able. read more

We have nothing but good things to say about Mariposa. It was scary turning our two young ones over to the care of someone else, but it was clear from the very beginning that they truly love all of the kids there, including our own. We've been blessed to have Ellie, Jasmine and Leslie as lead guides. Each of them are extremely committed to each child's development and well-being. They are also each proficient in Montessori teaching and principles and are always thinking of creative ways to encourage and guide their kids. There is a long wait to get in, but for good reason. Get on the wait list early and plan ahead. You will be glad you did. read more

We love the individual and developmentally appropriate attention our son gets at Mariposa. I'm sure all the teachers are great, but we were lucky enough to end up in Ms. Ellie's "Iris Community" and couldn't be happier. The beautiful 7-acre wooded campus is the most thoughtfully designed campus I've ever visited pairing nature and children in the best ways possible. All the classrooms are filled with natural light and the morning walks through the wooded courtyard and gardens to the classroom set each day off right. We're still getting used to some quirks of the community like the school calendar being different than other area school calendars, which causes difficulties for working parents, but that's a minor hiccup compared to all the great things about the community. We also love the diversity of families from seemingly all over the world, all walks of life, and all types of family structures. Parents are often eager to jump in on volunteer days and work together to help make the school an even better place than it already is. So, when they use the word "community"...it really is. read more

We love Mariposa! Our daughter started in the Nido room this summer, and we couldn't be happier with the care she receives. Due to work schedules, my husband does most of the drop-offs and pick-ups. He says that it's always calm, cool, and collected. We never worry that our daughter is being neglected or placed in a jumper for hours at a time, because there are no jumpers or other walking aides at the school. She gets to be the roly poly baby she is, and we have peace of mind. We joined the wait list for Mariposa for many reasons, including their policy of accepting babies as young as eight weeks. We also loved the small class size (three guides to eight babies in the Nido room!) As a warning, the wait list can be long... but this is just a testament to the quality of care. Working away from my baby is hard, but I have no doubt that she's receiving great care every day! read more

My son Nicholas started at Mariposa in the beginning of the year at their brand new incredible campus, it is such a beautiful environment surrounded by nature and beauty. My son is in the Iris community and is in Mrs. Ellie Susman's class. Mrs. Ellie is honestly, such an incredibly gifted teacher, she is calm and patient and extremely knowledgeable and has always been very helpful. He has grown so much and thrived in this environment. The school is based on inclusiveness, togetherness and community, and is such a special place. All the teachers and staff and administration as well as counselors are friendly and caring. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this school. I am not a person that typically writes reviews, but this is a very special school and we are thrilled to be part of their family. The school is also run extremely well, and communication has been amazing, I honestly can't say enough about Mrs. Ellie or the school. Only regret, we never started sooner. read more

I can't say enough good things about Mariposa and I am truly saddened that due to a move for a job, we must pull our son out of Mariposa and the Nido Room led by Kyndra. I have very high standards and was petrified of finding daycare for our son last fall. I toured three facilities and all but one (Mariposa) left me running for the door. Sugary snacks, babies stuck in exersaucers all day -- it was awful. We toured Mariposa and instantly fell in love. The Nido (infant) room is incredible. The guides are attentive and encourage each child's development. The children all have freedom to move about the room and explore their environment, instead of being confined to swings and exersaucers. What's more is that this school actually teaches these infants. They don't just look after them all day, trying to waste the hours as many daycares do. They help these little people grow to be functioning, educated individuals. The guides are mindful of each developmental stage. Kyndra and her assistants are a joy to watch. I feel completely safe and comfortable leaving my son in their care. He is happy when we drop him off and happy when we pick him up. They have taught him sign language, have helped develop his solid eating skills and it is so clear that each of the guides loves all of the children in that room. I truly feel like we are partners in raising my son. The cherry on top is that the school uses cloth diapers, encourages nursing moms to stop in any time, and that my son could grow and move on to the next class with his playmates. We love Mariposa and feel truly lucky to have found it! read more

Update: I want to bring attention that there are THREE new Yelp reviews that have been posted since my review from October, all about Ms. Ellie and how wonderful she is. She and the staff at Mariposa Montessori school are racist and discriminative toward African-Americans, the background of my son and I. Do not be fooled. Be AWARE. Thank you for your response, John. You've taken TWO months to reach out and respond, which further shows how little you think of the situation. Your school may be diverse with White, Asian, Indian and Hispanic students, but it is NOT diverse with African-American students. There are no African-American teachers or administrators (CHECK their site), so it is no wonder why my son was not welcome. When I met with Stacy to find a resolution, not only was she uninterested in the many solutions or strategies that I suggested but I was constantly told how she has to do what's best for her teachers. How Ms. Ellie was crying, balling at the end of the day, how she had never seen her such a wreck. She read me Ms. Ellie's email verbatim and said she could not allow my son to come back and have another day like that one. She said she would not put Ms. Ellie through that. So when you say that Ms. Ellie had no bearing on the decision to not allow my son to return after ONE day, that is absurd. Again, I was not allowed to talk to Head of Schools that day or any day thereafter. I even emailed Whitney Falcon and got NO response. I paid more than $1600, which you all refunded, and you mean to tell me that after ONE day of attendance you don't have the ability to support him? What that should signal to any parent, especially those with African-American children, is that your children are not welcome because they don't possess "the resources" and they aren't the kind of school Maria would have been proud of. read more

We had an extraordinarily terrible experience with Mariposa Montessori. In a nutshell, they did not have the skills or patience to facilitate a positive experience for our son. Before he went to this place he was calm and collected. We were really hopeful that he could stay there for years. He increasingly became frustrated and acted out. He's all of 3 years old. We were called on multiple occasions telling us to pick him up - for being a 3 year old essentially. He is not on the spectrum and we had him assessed by two Occupational Therapists and one Pediatrician who unanimously stated their anger at Mariposa Montessori for essentially kicking him out of their school. After all three had assessed him they determined he was a normal, growing 3 year old going through a normal phase. Either his teacher Melissa was new to the job and didn't know how to handle the situation, or she just didn't care enough. One of the directors of the school, Stacy, acted the same way. They did not want to put the effort into helping our son - they just wanted him out of there. These so-called teachers and administrators of this school seemed to have little to no experience with toddlers. It was unfortunate because their new campus is beautiful and we had very high hopes. I would not recommend anyone put their toddler in this school. Again, it was just a nightmare. DO NOT PUT YOUR TODDLER THROUGH THIS. read more

My son is currently in the Young Children's Community (Age 18 months to 3 years) at Mariposa. He has been attending since age 1, where he started in the Nido classroom. We could not imagine a more loving, wonderful community for our family to be part of. All of the teachers and administrative staff are truly exceptional. read more

We've been a part of the Mariposa community for a while now and couldn't be happier with the decision. We have an infant in the Nido room and a toddler in their Young Children's Community. I toured and considered many Montessori programs in Austin and found merits in many of them, but I didn't see another program with such heart, community and love that I felt from Mariposa. When our son started, I was delighted to learn that my impression was spot on. After very little time, I saw how much every one on staff cares for all the children, even the ones in other classes that you'd think they might not know. I was so impressed in the first weeks to see how genuinely and sincerely Miss Kelsey provides a truly authentic Montessori experience for her toddlers. She truly respects them and empathasizes with developmental changes that can be frustrating and confusing for them. She (and the other guides) really empower the children to find their indepence, express their needs and feel confidant with how capable they are. My daughter is in the infant room, and it's been remarkable to see how their loving and thoughtful environment has allowed her a safe place to be so much more autonomous and explorative than I would have thought possible at her age. She's already having so much fun with life that she might not be having if she were more constricted in her daily activities. The Nido guides are extremely calm and patient and clearly love their babies a ton. I highly recommend this school. The Falcon's are such kind, understanding, and community-oriented business-owners. They are open to new ideas and accessible when you need them. They take a lot of pride in the programs they have created and clearly have a deep respect for their staff and a refreshing candor with the parents. read more

My son has been at Mariposa for almost a year now, and we feel that it is a wonderful and supportive learning environment for him. The administration is amazing, and it is clear in everything that they do that they prioritize creating a real, vibrant, community of children and families learning and growing together. Our son has had some difficulty focusing and engaging with certain types of tasks at school, and when this challenge started to become more apparent, his teacher, Ms. Susman, promptly made herself available (on one of her days off) to meet with us and discuss ways to help support him. Since then, she has been incredibly active in developing methods (and even buying additional materials) to help him in the classroom, and we are very grateful for her kind, steady, presence and grounded approach to caring for him. I have been very impressed by the school's transparency and openness-- they provide so many opportunities for parents to participate and engage with the school--and Ms. Susman has always been very knowledgable and forthright in communicating with us. She is definitely proactive in all things, and it is clear that we are dealing with a professional educator for whom Montessori is as much a passion as it is a profession. There is never a sense that we are dropping our kids off at childcare-- the teachers and staff are all working hard to provide a stellar, whole-child based learning experience. Ms. Susman's classroom--and the school in general-- is definitely a place where you can rest assured that every measure is being taken to provide an outstanding, inclusive, loving, and safe environment for all children to learn and thrive. read more

Every day we are incredibly grateful that we found Mariposa Montessori school. Our daughter has been at the school since she was 18 months old, and we are continually amazed at the quality and professionalism of the teachers, the loving care of every single staff member at the school, and the thriving, supportive parent community. When we first toured the school, I remember asking a parent in the parking lot what she liked best about the school, and her response was, "There's a lot of love here." We have found that to be more than true. The sense of warmth and comfort we feel when we drop our daughter off each morning is palpable. She truly loves school and runs into Miss Kelsey's classroom eagerly every day. The guides, support staff, and other children are like family to her, and I feel so much calmer as a parent knowing she is in great hands, especially because she is there for the full day including after-care, which goes all the way from 8:30 am - 5:30 pm. (Before 18 months, she used to attend a large chain daycare center in south austin, and I always felt vaguely nervous and uneasy when I left her there each day. The peace of mind I feel now dropping her off each day is considerable. It has made me a happier, healthier parent--more able to enjoy my career without feeling guilty about the time I spend away from her!) In addition to providing an excellent educational and social environment for the kids, Mariposa also has a number of great programs and resources for the parents. Every month there are guest speakers or teachers who come in the evening to lead lectures, talks, and workshops to educate parents. These are free to the parents, and there is even usually free childcare for the kiddos in a separate room during these events. We've learned so much from these programs. They've shaped our approach to parenting and given us valuable opportunities to connect with other parents in the community. The community picnics, mom & dad's happy hours, etc. are also great. Meanwhile, our daughter is thriving intellectually and socially. She loves learning for learning's sake and constantly comes home having learned new words and concepts or showing off new physical skills like jumping, skipping, etc. Last but not least, I've been really impressed with how available the teachers are to answer our questions and talk over any issues we're having with our daughter at home (e.g. potty training issues or eating issues) so that she gets a consistent message at home and at school. Next month our daughter will transition from the Young Children's Community (18 months - 3 years) into the Children's House (3-6 years), and we are so excited for this new phase of her education and social development. Thank you, Mariposa! read more

Our son has been at this school since he was nine months old. Truly, the school has shaped him (and my husband and I as parents) in so many beautiful ways. First, the school environment is incredibly warm and inviting. There is a thriving and supportive parent community and wonderful administrators. Second, our boy is receiving a top education - his intellectual curiosity, love of learning, and compassionate consideration of others has truly been nurtured in this school environment. We are zoned for a highly rated elementary school but have continued to keep him at Mariposa. I highly recommend Mariposa and shudder to think of where we might be without them..... read more

Sending my daughters to Mariposa Montessori School was, by far, the best decision I have ever made. My 6 year old is about to graduate & my 2 year old will move to the Children's House in the fall. They both have been attending since they were babies & I am heartbroken that my 6 year old's time there is coming to a close. From the owner to the administrative assistant to the lead guides to the assistant guides, my girls have received nothing but unconditional love & gentle guidance. Mariposa is one of the few Montessori schools in Austin that adheres to the Montessori method & philosophy. I have learned so much about parenting from this amazing school. I cannot imagine our lives had Mariposa never been in them. read more

We feel so fortunate to have found Mariposa Montessori for our 3 year old daughter. It is such a welcoming and loving community of families and staff. Whitney, the school's visionary and creator, has worked so hard to create this special place. Ms Stacy, the school's director, has been a joy to work with and is readily available to the families with great communication. I recently got a chance to observe my daughter's classroom, with lead guide Ellie and guide Megan. The children were so busy doing their work, they barely noticed me. I could not believe the order Ellie and Megan maintain to the madness of so many little ones roaming around. Being a first time parent, I have learned so much from watching Ellie work with the children and she is always happy to assist me with any questions. It is a delicate balance of being firm but loving and I have seen so much growth in my daughter's development since she started this year. Even our babysitter, who occasionally drops our daughter off has commented on how wonderful the guides are with the children. They truly are part of our daughter's family. Shout out to JC and Christina who do after care for us at the school. read more

We love this school! I agree with the review stating that they actually teach the infants- it was amazing to see my son's development fostered and his curiosity grow- the staff are well educated and the communication is top notch. The environment is beautiful and the children (including the infants) are happily and calmly exploring their world- a true testiment to their needs being met. We love the emphasis on healthy eating and garden is lovely! Super breastfeeding friendly establishment! We feel so lucky to find a school that shares our values as a family and it is a joy to see our son happily walk into his classroom to begin his work each day!! read more

Best Montessori school in Austin! Wonderful, loving teachers and a close community. Highly recommended!

For any parent looking to provide the most amazing educational and social environment for their young child or children, look no further. You have found the place! Mariposa Montessori will exceed your expectations as it did mine and my husbands. We have had 3 children attend the school. Our twins entered the Children's House (separate classrooms, Brodie Lane) at age 4 and spent two years there, graduating from kindergarten at age 6. Their younger sister began in the Young Children's Community at 20 months and moved up to the Children's House at age 3. She will begin her kinder year in a few weeks (August 2014) at the South Lamar campus. We have had the unique experience to have had a child in each of the 3 Children's Houses, perhaps the only family thus far to have done so. I have only positive things to say about the administration, lead guides , assistant guides, and after-care staff. Our loving lead guides Ms Monica, Ms Kimberley, Ms Tristan, and now Ms Shelly have provided classroom experiences that have emphasized not only reading, math and science, but global and cultural awareness, environmental awareness, and a sense of what it means to be an appropriate observer as well as an appropriate leader (social awareness). In addition, I love that the school is green and environmentally friendly, has a beautiful garden at Brodie, has enormous classrooms at Lamar, encourages healthy eating habits by banning junky foods and snacks, has an after-school yoga program, and enabled my son to be doing division with remainders in kindergarten! My only regret is that we did not know about this gem sooner to enable the twins to have the same length of time spent here as our youngest. This review may not be necessary as the word is out and the wait-lists are longer than ever, so be sure to take a tour and get on the list when your kids are itty-bitty so as to not miss out on any of the environments at this wonderful school. I didn't know much about Montessori philosophy 4 years ago, but have learned so much and now realize that there is no better way to educate a young child. read more